Candiduria in a public hospital of São Paulo (1999-2004): characteristics of the yeast isolates

The study involved 100 yeast isolates, obtained from urine samples provided by a Public Pediatric Hospital of São Paulo, Brazil, from 1999 to 2004. The most frequent species was Candida albicans, followed by C. tropicalis, C. glabrata and C. parapsilosis. In regard to virulence, 97% of the isolates showed index 3 for proteinase and 63% index 2 for phospholipase. The most frequent killer biotypes were 511 and 888.Estudou-se 100 amostras de leveduras, isoladas de urina, provenientes de Hospital Público Infantil de São Paulo Brasil, no período de 1999-2004. A espécie mais freqüente foi Candida albicans, seguida de C. tropicalis, C. glabrata e C. parapsilosis. Em relação à virulência, 97% dos isolados apresentaram índice 3 para proteinase e, 63% índice 2 para fosfolipase. Os biótipos "killer" mais freqüentes foram o 511 e 888

Produção e caracterização de farinhas e concentrados proteicos de amaranto (Amaranthus cruentus)

Orientador: Jaime Amaya-FarfanDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de AlimentosResumo: o grão de amaranto, espécie pertencente à classe das Dicotiledôneas, família das Amaranthaceae, possui características morfológicas e nutricionais comuns aos cereais e leguminosas, sendo considerado como "pseudo-cereal". A planta é oriunda das regiões andinas, e é utilizada em outros países da América, como o México e os Estados Unidos. No Brasil, esta cultura está sendo introduzida após processo de adaptação em solo e clima do Cerrado brasileiro pela EMBRAPA(Unidade Cerrados - DF). A fim de estudar as suas características composicionais e possíveis alterações com o processamento, esta pesquisa pretendeu investigar o comportamento físico-químico das proteínas do grão (Amaranthus cruentus variedade Japônica) durante o processo de extração das mesmas, visando a sua máxima extratabilidade. Foram produzidas três farinhas, as quais foram denominadas: farinha-base (FB), farinha desengordurada (FD) e farinha hidrolisada com a-amilase (FH). As farinhas serviram como matéria-prima para a extração da fração protéica em meio aquoso (solubilização em pH8 e precipitação em pH4,25). A partir de cada uma das farinhas, foi gerado um concentrado protéico (CP): concentrado protéico da farinha-base (CPFB), e os correspondentes CPFD e CPFH. As farinhas e concentrados foram submetidos à análise de composição centesimal, cor e perfil de solubilidade protéica em água e solução de O,lM NaCl, de ácidos graxos, aminoácidos e eletroforese. Os resultados mostraram que a hidrólise amilácea resultou numa farinha com o maior teor protéico ("'30%) porém, com alteração negativa da coloração. Dentre os concentrados, o CPFDfoi o que se apresentou com maior teor protéico ("'80%) e também maior recuperação protéica ("'47%), porém, foram a FB e seu respectivo concentrado os que apresentaram maior solubilidade protéica, independente dos pHs e solventes utilizados. Em relação ao perfil de ácidos graxos, todas as farinhas e concentrados foram semelhantes, com o predomínio ("'60%) de ácido oléico e linoléico. Quanto ao perfil aminoacídico, todas as farinhas e concentrados demonstraram possuir alto teor de sulfurados, enquanto a leucina foi o 10 aminoácido limitante em FB, FD, CPFB, CPFDe CPFH,e lisina em FH. De acordo com o perfil eletroforético das proteínas, as FD e FH apresentaram maior número de bandas identificáveis. Dos resultados obtidos, pode-se concluir que, independente do processo utilizado, desengorduramento ou hidrólise dos amidos, não é possível se produzir isolados protéicos (proteína > 90%) por precipitação isoelétrica simples da farinha do grão de amaranto. Isto sugere que embora exista uma interação proteína-gordura, a interação proteína-amido parece ser mais forte que a primeira. Contudo, o concentrado extraído da farinha desengordurada possui excelente composição nutricional, como alto teor protéico e bom perfil aminoacídico, além de alta solubilidade protéica e ausência do atributo negativo na cor. Posteriores pesquisas poderão apontar aplicações para o concentrado poderiam ser apontadas para a formulação de alimentos para uso geral e/ou para fins especiais.Abstract: Grain amaranth is a minute dicotyledonous seed from a plant that belongs to the Amaranthaceae family and is considered a 'pseudo-cereal' because it bears morphological and nutritional characteristics shared by both cereal and leguminous seeds. The grain it is said to have been first described in the high Andes, although it is known in Mexico and the United States. Following an agronomic adaptation program, Embrapa-Cerrados has been responsible for the introduction of this crop in Brazil. The objectives of this work were to study some compositional and physicochemical characteristics of the proteins of Brazilian amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus variedade Japônica) and their possible alteration due to the protein isolation. Three flours were obtained and denominated as basic flour (FB), defatted basic flour (FD) and FB from which the starch was removed with a-amylase (FH). The corresponding protein concentrates (CPFB, CPFD, CPFH) were also obtained by dissolution of the protein in aqueous pH8 and precipitation at pH4.25. Both flours and concentrates had their solubility profiles determined in both water and O.lM NaCI solution and were characterized in terms of proximal, amino acid and fatty acid composition. The color parameters were also determined. Among the concentrates, the CPFD exhibited the highest protein content (80%) and protein yield [47%). Nevertheless, the highest amounts of soluble protein were observed from FBand CPFB, regardless of the solvent. With regard to the fatty acids, both flours and concentrates had similar compositions, showing the predominance of oleic and linoleic acids (60%), independent of fat removal. In terms of amino acids, ali of the products showed to contain high levels of both methionine and cysteine, while leucine was the first limiting in ali, except for FH, which was limiting in Iysine. The protein elecrophoretic profiles of FB and FH revealed a greater number of identifiable bands. From these results it can be concluded that regardless of whether the basic flour is defatted or starch-hydrolyzed, the protein content of the isolate cannot reach 90% by simple isoelectric precipitation. This suggests that although the protein of grain amaranth can be interacting with both lipids and carbohydrates, the interaction with the latter seems to be a stronger one. The concentrate obtained from the defatted flour apparently carries a good protein and amino acid content, high solubility and no negative color attributes. Further studies will determine if applications of this product are feasible in foods for special purposes.MestradoMestre em Alimentos e Nutriçã

Anemia prevalence and its determinants in Brazilian institutionalized elderly

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of anemia and analyze the factors associated with anemia in elderly residents of long-term care institutions. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in male and female elderly volunteers selected in a two-stage random sampling from long-term care institutions in the city of Maringa, Brazil (2008). A diagnosis of anemia was based on the plasma hemoglobin concentration. The independent variables analyzed were gender, age, time of residence at an institution, body mass index, and serum iron and albumin concentrations. The association between anemia and the variables was assessed using the Poisson regression with robust variance in unadjusted and adjusted analyses, considering a complex sample and a significance level of 5%. Results: The sample included 124 adults older than 60 y residing in long-term care institutions (53.0% female). The prevalence of anemia was 29% and was not significantly associated with gender, serum iron concentration, time of residence at an institution, or body mass index. Conversely, hypoalbuminemia was considered a risk factor for anemia. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of anemia in the institutionalized elderly and hypoalbuminemia is a factor associated with this outcome. Interventions are necessary to promote improvements in the health and welfare of this population. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Inc

Elevated Blood Pressure and Obesity in Childhood: A Cross-Sectional Evaluation of 4,609 Schoolchildren

Background: The incidence of obesity in children is increasing worldwide, primarily in urbanized, high-income countries, and hypertension development is a detrimental effect of this phenomenon. Objective: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the prevalence of excess weight and its association with high blood pressure (BP) in schoolchildren. Methods: Here 4,609 male and female children, aged 6 to 11 years, from 24 public and private schools in Maringa, Brazil, were evaluated. Nutritional status was assessed by body mass index (BMI) according to cutoff points adjusted for sex and age. Blood pressure (BP) levels above 90th percentile for gender, age and height percentile were considered elevated. Results: The prevalence of excess weight among the schoolchildren was 24.5%; 16.9% were overweight, and 7.6% were obese. Sex and socioeconomic characteristics were not associated with elevated BP. In all age groups, systolic and diastolic BP correlated with BMI and waist and hip measurements, but not with waist-hip ratio. The prevalence of elevated BP was 11.2% in eutrophic children, 20.6% in overweight children [odds ratio (OR), 1.99; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.61-2.45], and 39.7% in obese children (OR, 5.4; 95% CI, 4.23-6.89). Conclusion: Obese and overweight children had a higher prevalence of elevated BP than normal-weight children. Our data confirm that the growing worldwide epidemic of excess weight and elevated BP in schoolchildren may also be ongoing in Brazil